System of ice-manufacture and refrigeration



May 19, 1931- G. L. vAn.' 1,805,932

' SYSTEM oF los MANUFACTURE AND REFRIGERATION Filed July 12. 1927 s sheets-sheet 1 I JNVENTOR.

` ORNEY.

May 19, 1931;. G. l.. vAn. 1,805,932

SYSTEM OF ICE MANUFACTURE AND REFRIGERATION ed July 12, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 19, 1931. G. L. vAIL 1,805,932

SYSTEM OF ICE MANUFACTURE vAND REFRIGERATION Filed Ju1y"12", `la? 5 sheets-sheetl 5 Z5 NI/ENTOR.

Patented May 19,1931 y y y l GEORGE L' vAIL, oFnENvEn, COLORADO n SYSTEM or ICE-MANUFACTURE AND REFRIGERATION `Application filed July 12, 1927. SerialV No. 205,254.

This invention relates to a lsystem of ice- 'lower end portion of anair conduit included. manufacture and refrigeration and an object in the construction of the freezing units.` of the invention is to provide a system ofthe Referring further to the 'drawings in the y above stated character, which is simpler in several views of Which like parts are similarly' v the number and construction of its elements designated, a preferably rectangular tank is 55V and Which at` the same time is more efficient covered by al vsectional top, the members', and more economicalin operation than the of-vvhich adjoin oneanother insubstantially corresponding apparatus at present commonair proof relation Vand may be separately ly used in refrigerating `and ice manufacturlifted to afford acoessto the parts of the ap@ ing plants. f paratus immediatelybeneath thesame. isi 6oV A vpurther important' feature of the inven- `They tank is divided by means of a vertical` tion resides in the provision of means for the partition 7 ,into two compartments 8 and 9. production of a clear and transparent ice' The compartmentSconstitutes thebrine cool? from ordinary undistilled Water by they auing chamber of the apparatus and the comv tomatio elimination of impurities Aand air partment9the freezing chamberl of the same. 65'y pockets during the freezing process,` Ther partition Textends from the bottomfof; Another aim of the invention is to produce the tank upWar-dly to Within '-a short distance.- by the above-mentioned means blocks of ice from the top to provide an overiiovv for liquid- Without the usual cores. I from the freezing :chamber ,to thexcooling Another object of theinventionresides in chamber in the operation of the system. 70* the provision of a refrigerating or ice pro# f. Thejcoolingchamberiis subdivided 'byfa ducing plant Which requires very little me-V number of horizontal baille plates 10 project-1 chanical energy in its operation', which prlokingk alternately from oppositel sides thereof duces the desired results at a greatly reduced t0 provide a circuitous, zigzag course kfor.:l cost as compared With other plantsof similar .the4 brine circulating through the tank from k75 type, which is automatic in its action and one compartment to another. Which maybe operated. by but one attendant.' Placed above the baiie plates are ammoniav Still other' objects of the invention, resid coils `12, the ends of which project through v ying mainly in details of construction and a side Wall of they tank. vThe projecting endsnovel arrangements and combinations of Vof thecoils areconnected respectively with 801 parts Will be brought out inthe course ofthe headers 13 and14 through 'the medium of f following description With referenceftothevalve controlled union's15 and 16.- f' accompanying drawings in Which The header 13 consists offa smallpipecon- Figure 1 represents a partially broken perneoted with a reservoir 17 above the tank,A

'35 spective-view of an apparatus in which the Which in' practice is supplied with liquid.` 85

novel features of thesystem are embodied, ammonia from an ammonia condenser shownv .Figurer 2, an enlarged fragmentary secin broken lines at 51 in Figure 1 .ofthe drawtion taken in the'vertioal plane indicated by ings.. I the line 2-2 infFigure 1,' ,Y The reservoir 17 has a -surroun,di-ng'jacketV i .Figure-3, atransverse vert'cal section taken 18 which constitutes the gas receiver:` of Athe' 90x along the line 3-#3 in Figure 1, apparatus and this receiver connects with;k Figure L1, a vertical section' throughkone the second header which in comparison with7 of the freezingunits included in the'apparathe first described header, islof larger diamtus, on the .line lr-+4, Figure, y l eter.` i 45 Figure 5, a similar section vat right angles A pipey 19 conducts the gases from the re'- 95 i to the other, taken on the line 5 5 in Figceiver to an ammonia 'compressor '20:vvhich ure 4, p 4 f y f connects with the condenser above referred Figure 5, a horizontal section on vthe line to; -The freezing. compartment 9is`occupi'ed 6-6 in` Figure 5, and f by a number of individuallyremovable` @u Figure 7, an enlarged. seetenal'vewofthe inserting units which are supported estranea 100 verse sills 2l above the bottom of the tank and which are accessible by removal of the superposed sections 6 of the top of the tank. Each unit, as illustrated in detail in Figures '4 to 7 of the drawings, has two freezing compartments 22 separated from each other by a Water circula-tion space 23.

The circulation space is insulated at its ends and bottom by walls 24, 25 and 25 ,of non-conductive material so that the water therein is not subjected to the cooling iniuence of brine which in the operation of the apparatus constantly circulates through the freezing chamber around the freezing units. The water space 23 is closed at its top by a snugly fitting cover 27 and the freezing compartments 22 are lclosed by lids 28 which are spaced from the top of the chamber in which the 4units are disposed.

AThe walls of the freezing compartments separating `them from the interposed water circulating space have at their upper ends horizontally disposed slots 29 and adjacent the bottom of the space,v two vertically er;- tending slots 30 formed in vertical alinement. Suspended `into the space 23 through an aperture in the cover27 "thereof, is a pipe 3l the lower end of which is bent upwardly, at a point above the vertical slots.y

The pipe is covered by a rubber tube 32 which extends upwardly beyond the extremity of the Apipe for :the purpose of preventing congelation as will hereinafter be more fully explained. The pipes 31 of the several units are by means of unions 33 and rubber hose connections 34'attached to a header pipe 35 which extends r'lengthwise of the freezing chamber in lthespacebetween the lids'of the freezing units andthe top ofthe chamber.

The 'end of the header pipe adjacent the artition between the chambers of the tank 1s plugged and its opposite endprojecting through an opening in the end wall `of ythe chamber 9, i-s connected with vthe air tank 36 of an a'ir 'p'umpf3'7 which is driven from an electric motor 38.

The circulation ofthe brine employedin the Loperation of the system, is effected by means 1of a suction fan 39 in 'a connection between the two chambers 8 and 9 of ythe tank. AThe connection vconsists cfa VU-shaped conduit 40, one kleg of which' is fastened-in an opening of the brine cooling chamber fadjacent the partition 7 'and :the 'other leg 'of l which connects at the opposite side of 'the partition with a header 'pipe 41 extending crosswise of the freezing chamber.

From `the head-er kpipe 4l extend 'a number of branch pipes 42 which are held in seats of the sills 21u-pon which the freezing units kare supported `and these `branch lpipes have ifmmediately below the freezing compartments wardemission 'of the brine;

Valves=44and 4,5 in the legs o'fth'eU-shaiped connection control the iiow of brine through the chambers of the tank, and an electric motor 46 has a driving connection with the suction fan.

For the purpose of connecting the tank with a refrigeration system or with other freezing machines of similar character, an outlet 47 in the bottom .portion of the cooling chamber provides for drawing the brine from -the chamber, Vand an inlet 48 near the top of vthe cooling 'chamber serves to return the brine tothe same.

Having thus described the mechanical construetionand cooperative arrangement of the elements included in the apparatus used in my improved ice manufacturing and refrigeration system, I desire it understood that many variations in said construction vand said arrangement Vmay be resorted to within the scope of my invention.

As an example the ammonia coils in the cooling chamber may be placed vertically instead of horizontally in which case the zigzag course of the .brine through the chamber is accordingly arranged for the upward 4and downward flow of brine.

In the operation `of the system the chambers 8.and'9 of thevtank are filled with brine to a level determined by 4the yoverflow across the partition 7, ythe reservoir 17 is supplied with liquid ammonia from the ammonia condenser, andthe freezing compartments and the circulation spaces ofthe several -f-reezing units are filled with water.

rEhe liquid ammonia 4entering the f-coils in the cooling chamber by means of the header 13, gasifies in the -coils by expansion, fand the gases Aafter :having circulated through the coils pass into the jacket 18 varound the :reservoir by medium ofthe header 14. rIhe gases pass from 'the -receiver to the compressor 20 in which the llatent heat Vof the gases is converted into sensible heat and .from where the gases move to the condenser in which thesensi-ble heat is dissipated and the gases lare re-liqueiied to 'be returned to lthe ammonia reservoir and re-used fin the operationof the system.

YVhile Vthe `ammonia gases are Ythus circulated through the coi-'ls,the ybrine 'is circulated through both chambers ofthe tank vby means ofthe suction fan 39. The brine withdrawn from the bottom yportion ofthe cooling chamber, enters the header 4l `and is emitted benea-thVV the freezing compartments ofthe several freezing units through the openings 43 of the pipes 42.. y

The brine thus lcirculatesV constantly around the freezing units in an upward direction and returns 'to the 'cooling chamber gravity and lthat the only powerrequired'to eHect a continuous circulation of the brine, is that necessary to raise the brine from a level abo-ve the upper tier of coils in the cooling chamber to the slightly higher elevation of the overflow.

The brine continuously cooled by its ycirculation across and around the ammonia coils, absorbs the heat from the water in the freezingcompartment of the freezing units, which heat is subsequently dissipated by the renewed contact of the brine with the coils. During the freezing process, air, preferably cooled to a temperature of from to 30 is forced into the header pipe by the operation of the pump 37, whence it is distributed through the connections 34 into the pipes 31 suspended in the circulation spaces of the several freezing units.

The air causes the water to circulate in each unit between the space 23 and the freezing compartments at opposite sides thereof, it being obvious that` the water will be compelled to enter the freezing compartments through the horizontal slots 29 near thetop thereof Y. and to re-enter the circulation space through the vertical slots 30. n Y

Owing to the insulated condition of the circulation space the water therein is not frozen underthe influence of the circulating brine and as it passes through the freezing compartments, impurities contained in the water in said compartments are frozen out and washed or crowded into the circulation space where they accumulate until lthe water in the space becomes saturated with the impurities while the frozen water in the freezing compartments is comparatively pure and clear.

While the water in the freezing compartments is hardened into ice, passages adjacent the walls between the compartments andthe circulation space remain open for the circulation of the water under the influence of the air constantly entering the space through the bent pipe 31. The passages above referred to have been indicated at in Figure 5 of the drawings and the blocks of solid ice at 50a. Y After the water in the freezing compartments of the units is completely frozen the units are removed from the tank and submerged in Water after the watercontaining the impurities which were eliminated from the water in the freezing compartments during the freezing process, has been discharged fromtlie circulation spaces.

The water in which the units are sub-V merged, causes the blocks of ice to loosen from the walls of thev freezing compartments and permits of easy removalof the ice blocks by inversion of the units.

It is to be understood that the air supplied to the freezing units through the pipes 3l is used for circulation purposes only and not for agitation of the water to be frozen as in other systems at present in use. In fact other power than hair under pressure maybe ein-A ployed to produceacirculatory movement ofil the waterin the circulation spaces, if so de.- siredand this power'm'ay if necessary be ap plied individually to :each unit separate from the others. I

Y. The non-metallicand non-conductive outlet-at the end of the air pipes is essential to preventl congealment and consequent stoppage at the Vends of the. pipes. Y y The ice obtained by the method hereinabove described is clear and substantially .free of impurities,'since it is automatically clarified during the freezing process, nor is the ice clouded at its top which invariably takes place when air is used as an a-gitating agentf -My invention thus enables the use of ordinaryfwater to produceice of the purity and clarity heretofore obtained only by means of j v But little power is required in the operationof the systemas hereinbefore explained, salt brine instead ofcalciunibrine may be used owing to the peculiar arrangement off the elements of the apparatus which prevents freezing of the brine, and al considerable vsaving in the cost of materialmay thus bejattained. f f

In order to employ the system for the pur poseof refrigeration, all or part of the freez` ing units may be removed from the freezing chamber of the tank and the brine after it has been cooled in the cooling chamber can be pumped or otherwise conveyed to the cold storage places.

I claim:

ivo

l. In a system of ice manufacture7 a freez- Y ing unit comprising a freezing chamber suby ject toexterior temperature conditions, an insulated. circulation space connected with the freezing chamber by a `horizontal upper slot and a vertical lower slot in a side thereof,

and means to effect a circulatory movement of water in the circulation space into the freez-V Van upper opening and a'lower opening in aside thereof, and a pipe having an upwardly ranging outlet in the circulation space between thevopenings, in connection with a source of air under pressure. i

u 4. In a system of ice manufacture, a freezing unit comprising a freezing chamber, a

circulation space connected with the cham-- ber by an :upper opening and a lower opening in a side thereof, and a pipe having an outlet in the circulation space between the openings, ,in connection with asource of fluid pressure.

5.v In asystem of ice manufacture, a freezing unit vcomprising a freezing chamber., a circulation space connected with the chamber by two openings in aside thereof, and a pipe having 4ano'utlet in the circulation lspace in connection with a source yof fluid pressure and disposed to elect circulation of liquid from the chamber to thespace through one opening and vfrom the lspace to the vchamber through the other opening.

l6. In ya'systernxof lice manufacture, a freezing unit comprising a freezing chamber, a circulation space connected with the chamber by two openings one above the other in a side thereof, anda pipe having an outlet in the circulation Y space in connection with a sourceof Huid pressure and disposed to effect circulation'o liquid from the chamber to the space `-throughone opening and from the space to the chamber through the other opening.

In testimony whereof I have alixed my signature.

GEORGE L. VAIL. 

